Combination table



Aug. 22, 1933. G a CHASE 1,923,969

COMBINATION TABLE Filed June 27, 1930 s Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 22, 1933. B. CHASE COMBINATION TABLE Filed June 27, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 GEO GE 5 Snow, o.

Aug. 22, 1933. G B CHASE 1,923,969

COMB INAT I ON TABLE Filed June 27, 1930 3 Sheets-Shec 5 Gleam-m Patented Aug. 22, 1933 UNiTED STATES PATENT oFF cE 1 1 Claim.

This invention aims to provide a novel combination, composed of several pieces of useful household furniture, built into one unit, in such a way that each of the several parts of the article will give the same amount of useful service as would be the case if single pieces of furniture were used, floor space being saved. 'Another object of the invention is to provide a combination article of the sort described, which can be placed at either end of a davenport or chair, orbetween two such objects, the device being so constructed that it may be operated from either side. A further object is to arrange the device in such a way that its constituent parts may beusedmore conveniently than has been possible heretofore, with the various articles or parts of the invention built separately. Another, objectof the invention is so to construct the device that the cost will be out down, it being possible to build several articles into a single unit, the purchaser having the same service, with less cost, compared with known constructions in which the articles are built separately. Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the class described which will combine, in one unit, anendtable,

such asis placed, usually, at one extremity of a davenport or chair, a magazine rack or holder It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the present invention appertains.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes may 'bema'de in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 shows in end elevation, a device constructed in accordance with the invention;

' Figure 2 is a vertical section taken through the device from side to side;

ends to the saddle. strip 11 project considerably beyond the ends of Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig- Figure 4 is a fragmentalsection on the line 4-4 of Figure 3;- I o Figure 5 is a section, on the line 5 -5 of Figure 6; i

Figure 6 is a section taken'through the device from front to back.

Figure '7 is a sectional view showing the shelf;

Figure 8 is a perspective view, disclosing one of the brackets. v

In carrying out the invention, there is provided a frame, which may be made in various ways, without departing from the spirit of the invention, the frame having any desired number of legs. Preferably, however, theframe includes a front leg 1 and a rear leg 2 carried by feet 3.

.In their inner sides, at their upper ends, the legs 1 and 2 have recesses 4 (Figure '6) in which. is secured a box-like receptacle 5, open at the top.

The legs 1 and 2 are connected, above the feet 3, by across rung 6, constituting part of the frame. Abutments "I are carried by the cross rung 6. On the lower portion of'thecross rung 6 is mounted a saddle 8, disposed between the abutments 7. The saddle'8 has a longitudinal groove or seat 9, the bottom wall of which is convexed upwardly to form a curved surface 10. A spring strip 11 is located in the groove or seat 9 of the saddle 8 and is secured intermediate its The ends of the spring the saddle, as disclosed in Figure 2 of the draw ings.

A box-like magazine rack 21 is disposed between the legs 1 and 2 of the frame. The magazine rack 12 is open at the top, as Figures 2 and 6 will show. On the bottom of the magazine rack 12, there are notched bearings 14 which receive the cross rung 6 of the frame, and permit the magazine rack to be swung from side to side on the rung. Near to its front and back, the

rack 12 is supplied on its bottom with notched A depending wing 18 (Figures 6 and 3) is secured to the bottom of the receptacle 5. On the forward surface of the wing 18 there is a blade 19 (Figure 3) provided with a keeper 20 adapted to engage with a latch 21 mounted on the rear wall of the magazine rack 12 and the latch 21 may be of the common spring-pressed ball variety, adapted to engage in the keeper 20 to hold the magazine rack 12 in a vertical position as shown in Figure 2. The construction of the latch 21 need not be gone into, because it is a commercial article.

On its back, and at one side, the magazine rack 12, has an upper bracket 22, and on its back and at the opposite side, the magazine rack has a lower bracket 23. The brackets 22 and 23 project rearwardly. Figure 3 shows that a transverse guideway 24 is formed in the forward surface of the wing 18 on the receptacle 5. The guideway is shown, also, in Figure 4 of the drawings. The guideway 24 is closed, in part, on its forward side, by a cover plate 25 attached to the forward side, of the wing 18. One end of the guideway 24 is higher than the other (Figure 3) so as to form angles or shoulders 25 in the guide way,

An upper stop 27 is mounted for horizontal sliding movement in one end of the guideway,

24. The stop 27 has a forwardly extended arm 28 adapted to cooperate with the upper bracket 22 on the magazine rack 12. A lower stop 29 is mounted to slide in the opposite end' of the guideway 24 and has a forwardly extended arm 30, adapted to cooperate with the lower bracket 23 on the magazine rack 12. The stops 29 and 27 have horizontally elongated slots 31 through which pass headed securing elements 32 mounted in the wing 13, as shown in Figure 4. The

- securing elements 82 hold the stops 29 and 2'! in the ends of the guideway 24, but they permit the stops 27 and 29 to have limited sliding movement in the direction of their length. The stops 29 and 27 are connected at their inner ends by a retractile spring 33 mounted in the guideway 24, the spring 33 serving to pull the stops 29 and 27 inwardly against the shoulders 26, as is shown in connection with the right hand stop in Figure 3 of the drawings.

Vertical guides 34 are mounted on the inner surface of the back of the receptacle 5 (Figures 2 and 5). In the guides 34 is mounted a removable bearing block 35. A pivot bolt 35 extends vertically through the bearing block 35. The pivot bolt 36 passes upwardly through a wear plate 37 secured to the upper end of the bearing block 35. The pivot element 36 is held by a wear plate 38 against the under surface of a top 39 for the article, the top forming, also, a closure for the receptacle 5. The wear plate 38 is secured to the top 39 and cooperates with the wear plate 37 on the upper end of the bearing block 35. A nut 40 is threaded on the lower end of the pivot bolt 36. A compression spring 41 surrounds a portion of the pivot bolt 36. The upper end of the compression spring 41 bears against the lower end of the block 35 and the upper end of the compression spring 41 bears against the nut 40 which constitutes an adjuster for the spring 41.

The top 39 has a rearward extension 42 carrying a socket 43 on which is mounted a standard 44, the numeral 45 designating 'a lamp which is adjustable mounted at 46 on the upper end of the standard. Any suitable means, however.

be provided for carrying the lamp, and any sort of a lamp and lamp support may be used.

Figure 1 shows, in connectionwith Figure '7, that there are seats 47 in the opposite sides of the front leg 1, near to the upper end of the front leg 1. These seats 4'7 are adapted to receive inwardly extended projections 48 (Figure 8) on bracket arms 49, the bracket arms being cut away as shown at 54, to form recesses which receive the front leg 1. The bracket arms 49 extend outwardly at right angles to the front leg 1. The bracket arms 49 are supplied with transverse holes 50, adapted to receive a clamp bolt 51 passing through a bracket 52 secured to the under surface of a shelf 53.

It will be understood readily that the top 39 may be swung horizontally, so as to open the receptacle 5, the top swinging on the pivot bolt 36. The spring 41 pulls down the top 39 and prevents rattling. If the operator wishes, he can lift off the top 39 and parts carried thereby, the bearing block 35 sliding upwardly out of the guides 34. Owing to the fact that the top 39 has the extension 42 which carries the lamp supporting means 44-43, the weight of these parts is located to the rear of the rear leg 2, the top 39, thus, being counterpoised, so that it will not drag too heavily on the upper end of the receptacle 5. The top 39, therefore, can be swung laterally Without much effort, and books or other articles in the receptacle 5 can be lifted out of the receptacle. The construction is such, moreover, that the entire. device will not tip over readily.

The latch 21, cooperating with the keeper 29, holds the magazine rack 12 in the vertical position shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, but the connection between the latch and the keeper is a readily releasable one, so that the operator, by applying a little force, can swing the magazine rack laterally into the dotted line positions of Figure 2, thereby enabling the contents of the magazine rack 12 to be removed. When the magazine rack 12, is swung laterally into the position of Figure 3, the lower bracket 23 on the magazine rack cooperates with the arm of the stop 29, or the bracket 22 onthe magazine rack cooperates with the arm 28 on the stop 27.

One or the other of the stops, therefore, slides horizontally, the spring 33 being elongated, and the opposite stop being held in place by one of the shoulders 25, an observation which will be understood readily when Figure 3 of the drawings is noted.

The side swinging movement of the magazine rack 12 thus is cushioned by the yieldably restrained stops 2? or 29. Moreover, as the magazine rack swings sidewise, one or the other of the lugs 1'7 (Figure 2) on the lower end of the magazine rack 12 comes into contact with the corresponding end of the spring 11 and flexes the spring, an additional cushioning effect being produced. Because the upper surface of the screw 9 in the saddle 8 is convexed,'as shown at 10, the ends of the spring strip 11 may be bent downwardly without wearing out or breaking the spring, the spring, consequently, having an unusually long life.

The shelf 53 is used to contain smokers articles or the like. By "loosening the clamp bolt 51, the hold of the bracket arm 49 on the front leg 1 maybe loosened, and the bracket arms, together with the shelf 53, may be adjusted up or down, the projections 48 (Figure 8) on the arms 49 being engaged in the selected seats 47 of Figure l, and the clamp bolt 51 being tightened up again to hold the shelf 53 in any position to which it may have been adjusted vertically. If the operator does not care for a shelf at the forward end of the device, the shelf (Figure 3) of course, may be removed.

The usefulness and convenience of the device shown in this application will be understood readily. The article may be placed at either end of a davenport, or elsewhere, and when so placed, the user will have five combined articles of furniture at his command, without changing his position or moving to a remote article in a distant portion of the room. In many places, especially in small apartments, space is extremely limited, and the device shown in the present application will find ready acceptance there, as elsewhere.

The lamp standard 44 fits loosely enough in the socket 43 to permit the operator to rotate the standard in the socket, the lamp 45 being carried around in a circle, either to the right or to the left, and being thereby adjusted horizontally. The structure is more convenient than would be the case if the standard 44 was fixed against turning in the socket 43. If the operator wishes to throw the light over his shoulder, while reading, or the like, he simply turns the standard 44, which swings the lamp and the shade horizontally and it is unnecessary for the operator to rise from his chairto make this adjustment. Although most lamps of this class permit of a vertical adjustment, they do not provide for a horizontal adjustment, unless they are supplied I with a ball and socket joint, which, of course, is

a somewhat expensive commercial article.

If desired, the construction can be changed, in cases where it is desired to use the space under the table top for a holder of books, instead of a sewing cabinet or humidor, as previously explained. In'carrying out this plan, the sides of the sewing cabinet would be eliminated. The bottom would remain and form a shelf on which books could be placed. A sliding partition, similar to that of an office filing cabinet would be arranged at the rear end of said space and would hold the books in an upright position when only a few books were in place. The balance of the article would remain unchanged.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

A table comprising a frame, a box-like receptacle carried by the upper part of the frame and open at the top, a top member forming a closure for the open top of the receptacle, a rack open at the top and located below the receptacle, means for pivotally mounting the rack on the frame to permit the rack to be swung vertically and outwardly until most of the open top of the rack is outwardly of the receptacle, a vertical standard, a substantially horizontal arm carried by the standard, a lamp on the arm, pivot means connecting the'top member with the receptacle for horizontal swinging movement, whereby the top member can be swung to open a portion of the top of the receptacle, the standard being mounted on the top member in ofiset relation to the'pivot means, whereby, when the top memher is swung to open a portion of the top of the receptacle, the standard and the lamp will be carried inwardly with respect to the open portions of the receptacle and the rack, the standard and the arm constituting means whereby the lamp may be swung horizontally in an orbit, to dispose the lamp in such position that it will illuminate the open portion of the top of the rack, and the open portion of the top of the receptacle,

at the same time.

. GEORGE B. CHASE. 

